A new French government study shows that the cost to the French consumer of a 100% renewable scenario is more or less equal to a scenario close to todayâs, with only 40% renewables. It is yet another instance of leading energy experts asserting that a 100% renewable future is possible, writes Terje Osmundsen, Senior Vice-President of Norwegian independent solar power producer Scatec Solar. … [Read more...]
Interview AndrĂ© Merlin: âEurope needs regional System Operators like in the USâ
Developing electricity interconnectors should be a shared competence of the EU and individual Member States, with costs shared out at least across regions, says AndrĂ© Merlin, President of Medgrid, a consortium looking to facilitate the exchange of electricity across the Mediterranean, in an interview with Energy Post. Merlin, former Chairman of both RTE, the French transmission system operator (TSO) and ERDF, the main French distribution system … [Read more...]
Clean Disruption: how Silicon Valley will make oil, nuclear, gas, coal obsolete (book review)
In his new book âClean Disruption of Energy and Transportationâ, famous author, lecturer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Seba predicts that by 2030 all power generation will be solar and wind and all cars will be self-driving electric vehicles. The existing energy industry will be âobliteratedâ. In a review of the book, JosĂ© Cordeiro, founding energy advisor at Singularity University and Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of … [Read more...]
Solar PV can help not hinder the grid
Decentralised renewables such as solar panels on peopleâs roofs can actively support the grid, rather than being a nuisance for it. This is the main conclusion from an EU research project called âMetaPVâ, whose final results were presented at a conference in Brussels on 24 March. … [Read more...]
IRENA pushes for 160 GW energy storage plan
A group of experts is expected to finalise details this week of a road map to install 160 Gigawatts (GW) of battery storage worldwide in 2030, reports Jason Deign of Energy Storage Report. The plan, being developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), would see nearly four times as much battery storage being deployed in the next 15 years as all the solar power installed worldwide to date. … [Read more...]
Six steps to prepare the European energy system for the future
The European energy system is feeling increasing strain from the effects of the energy transition. New regulatory and business models are urgently needed, in particular to cope with the increasing share of variable energy sources. Pieter Boot of the Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency (PBL) and Jacques de Jong of the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP) offer six practical suggestions to prepare our energy system for a … [Read more...]
Deutsche Bank: solar at grid parity in most of world by 2017
Investment bank Deutsche Bank is predicting that solar systems will be at grid parity in up to 80 per cent of the global market within 2 years, and says the collapse in the oil price will do little to slow down the solar juggernaut. Giles Parkinson of the Australian-based website Reneweconomy.com reports. … [Read more...]
SunPower: "solar the greatest market opportunity world has seenâ
The head of one of the worldâs leading solar PV manufacturers and developers, SunPowerâs Tom Werner, predicts that solar will be a $US5 trillion industry within 20 years, and represents one of the greatest ever opportunities in the history of markets. Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com reports on a recent investment briefing given by Werner. … [Read more...]
Where battery storage will take over from backup power plants
Although the growth in renewables has led to the shutdown of many gas- and coal-fired power plants, power producers believe their plants will still be needed to provide backup capacity. But grid storage batteries are becoming increasingly competitive with âpeaker plantsâ, says Paul Siblerud of US storage company ViZn Energy Systems in an interview with Roy L. Hales of The EcoReport, citing a new study by Energy Strategies Group. … [Read more...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: here are the gamechangers of the future
At a âbusiness boosterâ event in Barcelona, sixty European cleantech startups supported by KIC InnoEnergy, presented themselves to the world. They offered an impressive variety of new technologies and market innovations, ranging from new storage devices and solar chips to energy saving techniques, financing models and consumer engagement platforms. In this article we present to you some of the gamechangers of our future energy system â all made … [Read more...]
How to solve the crisis in the EU electricity market
Climate policy and government support of renewable energy are often blamed for the current crisis in the European electricity market. In reality, however, this crisis is caused by changed market fundamentals as well as the inadequacy of the existing market design, argue Andreas RĂŒdinger and Mathilde Mathieu of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). What is needed is better integration of climate and … [Read more...]
South Australia's renewable energy future
South Australia made headlines around the world when it was announced that the state had been powered by 100% renewable energy for an entire working day. Commentators took it as a proof that a fully renewable future is possible. South Australia, writes Jack Baldwin of the South Australian news service The Lead, demonstrates to the world the benefits of renewable energy. According to Baldwin, there are signs the rest of the country will follow, … [Read more...]
Solar power to the people
The spectacular global growth of solar PV is one of the big energy stories of today. And it may well become the energy story of the 21st Century. Where did the solar revolution âsuddenlyâcome from? And where will it take us? One of the pioneers of the sector, Peter F. Varadi, co-founder of what was once the biggest solar PV producer in the world, Solarex, has written a unique history of his company and that of solar PV. He also looks ahead to … [Read more...]
Energy storage: stormy growth but no one-size-fits-all solution
The debate over which energy storage technology will prove to be the best in the long-term is misguided, argues Chris Dalby of Oilprice.com. There will be no one-size-fits-all winner. He discusses some of the latest developments in energy storage, which show that different situations will lead to different solutions. … [Read more...]
NEC and RSE in Italy show how renewable energy producers can make money by helping to balance the grid
NEC Italia SpA, which calls itself âthe smart energy competence center for Europe and the Middle Eastâ, and Ricerca Sistema Energetico SpA (RSE), a specialist in electro-energy research, will on 18 September release details of a new study showing how variable renewable energy sources can actually help balance the grid (rather than upset its balance). In this way, producers of renewable energy will be able to offer additional services to grid … [Read more...]
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